Deborah Fisher, Author at Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

30 Mar, 2020

Other states outpace Tennessee in COVID-19 data provided to citizens

By Deborah Fisher|2020-05-09T13:23:02-05:00March 30, 2020|Categories: Public Records|Tags: COVID-19|0 Comments

Several other states are releasing more information to its citizens than Tennessee about the rapidly spreading COVID-19 virus. For example, several states are releasing on their websites deaths by COVID-19 by county, and others are announcing the city or county location of deaths in press briefings. In contrast, the Tennessee Department of Health has declined to release the number of COVID-19 deaths by county. The state's website with data on COVID-19 in Tennessee. Gov. Bill Lee is also giving 3 p.m. (CDT) daily press briefings, which are streamed live here and remain available on the website. "We are providing numbers of deaths at the state level only due to the [...]

24 Mar, 2020

Governing bodies across Tennessee begin Facebook Live, Zoom, live broadcasts

By Deborah Fisher|2020-05-09T13:23:35-05:00March 24, 2020|Categories: Open Meetings|Tags: COVID-19, electronic meetings|1 Comment

Hickman County Mayor Mark Bentley welcomed all viewers on Facebook Live and promised to have the video taped and available on the website the next day, which it was. Governing bodies across Tennessee are entering into a week of meetings and business regarding the COVID-19 emergency with a new challenge. They are allowed by the Governor's Executive Order 16 to meet electronically, so long as they provide electronic access to the public. TCOG is getting reports of various approaches. The Knoxville City Council, for example, plans to meet today using Zoom, where all members of the Council can connect from home with their computer audio and video. They haven't yet [...]

22 Mar, 2020

Now is the time for governing bodies to quickly implement technology to provide the public better meeting access

By Deborah Fisher|2020-05-09T13:24:11-05:00March 22, 2020|Categories: Open Meetings|Tags: adequate public notice, COVID-19, electronic meetings|0 Comments

An example of a New Jersey City Council holding a meeting via a Zoom video conference, streaming it live on its Facebook page, and allowing the public to submit testimony via email. (https://hudsonreporter.com/2020/03/21/hoboken-city-council-meets-virtually-to-conduct-city-business/) Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee issued an executive order on Friday that gave much-needed relief and guidance on how governing bodies may conduct meetings electronically in light of a need to contain the spread of coronavirus. The order contained key provisions TCOG sought, including that governing bodies be allowed to conduct "essential business," make reasonable efforts to provide live electronic access to the public and provide the public with better notice of the meeting agenda and how the [...]

20 Mar, 2020

Gov. Bill Lee issues executive order for Open Meetings during COVID-19 emergency

By Deborah Fisher|2020-03-20T17:44:27-05:00March 20, 2020|Categories: Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|2 Comments

Governor Bill Lee has issued Executive Order No. 16 to ensure government operations continue to function openly and transparently during the COVID-19 emergency while taking measures to protect the health and safety of citizens and government officials. Read the order here. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee issued Executive Order No. 16 to allow governing bodies, by following certain conditions, to meet electronically and provide electronic access to the public during the COVID-19 emergency. We at Tennessee Coalition for Open Government are very pleased with this outcome. The order allows essential government business to continue. We need to give governing bodies across the state tools to do this. The order includes several [...]

20 Mar, 2020

TCOG letter to the governor urging action and safeguards for Open Meetings Act compliance during COVID-19

By Deborah Fisher|2020-03-21T11:49:23-05:00March 20, 2020|Categories: Tennessee Coalition for Open Government|0 Comments

Tennessee Coalition for Open Government has written a letter to the governor urging action to provide local governing bodies some relief to meet electronically on essential business while maintaining certain safeguards for transparency and public participation during the coronavirus emergency. You can read the letter and our suggested specific safeguards here. They are also copied below: 3-20-2020 To: The Honorable Governor Bill Lee of the State of Tennessee, As state and local governments across the United States take measures to respond to the COVID-19 epidemic, executive orders are being issued and legislative action taken to allow governing bodies to make decisions without complying with parts of the Open Meetings laws. [...]

tennessee

About Deborah Fisher